Windshield wipers are well known and are typically employed on vehicles such as trucks and automobiles to remove water and dirt and grime from the vehicle's windshield. The blades of windshield wipers are usually manufactured from rubber and serve to remove the water or grime from the windshield by wiping the windshield in a squeegee-like motion. Over time, windshield wipers tend to lose their edge and deteriorate and/or become clogged with dirt and grime. This negatively impacts on the effectiveness of the windshield wiper and tends to cause streaking. Once the edges have deteriorated, vehicle owners typically purchase new windshield wipers and install them on their vehicles.
A typical prior art windshield wiper blade WB is shown in cross section in FIG. 2. The wiper includes the wiping edge WE which wiping edge is the sector that wipes across the glass panel of the windshield to remove water. The wiper also includes the attachment member AM which attaches to a wiper arm. Of significance to the present invention is the slot S situated on the prior art wiper blade between the wiping edge and the attachment member. For a windshield wiper to function properly, the blade should lie at a 90° angle to the glass surface being wiped and deterioration of the wiper and dirt and grime thereon impede the ability of the blade to sit at the proper angle.
There are several devices in the prior art that attempt to resolve the issue of deterioration of windshield wipers. As compared to the present invention, the prior art displays several deficiencies. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,471 entitled Windshield Wiper Reconditioning Device (issued to Freeland on Dec. 15, 1998) discloses a device that slices material from the tip of the windshield wiper. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,266 B1 entitled Hand-Held Device for Cleaning a Windshield Wiper Blade (issued to Traynor on Nov. 27, 2001) which discloses a wiper blade cleaner that employs a web of bristles.
None of the prior art addresses the problem of resurfacing wiper blades in the novel approach of the present invention. Specifically, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a simple, hand-held tool for resurfacing wiper blades, without slicing off sections of the blade. Furthermore it is an objective of the present invention to resurface wiper blades without the necessity to remove the wiper blades from the vehicle.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features, and further scope of applicability of the present invention will be set forth in the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.